---
title: "SEO MCP Servers Compared: Ahrefs, Semrush and More"
description: "Every SEO MCP server we could verify on 31 Oct 2026: Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking, DataForSEO, Sitebulb, Screaming Frog, bseoa and more, with auth and plans."
image: "https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/static/images/black-seo-analyzer-og-image.png"
canonical: "https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/seo-mcp-servers"
language: "en"
---

# SEO MCP servers, compared

An SEO MCP server is a program that exposes SEO data or SEO actions, such as crawling a site, looking up keywords and backlinks, or reading Search Console, as tools an AI assistant can call through the Model Context Protocol. The assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, Codex and others) decides when to call a tool, the server fetches the data from the vendor's database or from the live site, and the assistant answers from that data instead of from memory. Some run on the vendor's servers and you sign in; others run as a process on your own machine.

Below is every SEO-relevant MCP server we could verify on **October 31, 2026**, each checked on the vendor's own page or repository. Where we could not confirm something, the cell says so.

Disclosure: this page is published by bseoa, which is one of the servers listed. We've tried to be accurate and fair; if something has changed, [tell us](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/contact) and we'll update it.

## The matrix

| Server | What data it exposes | Runs where | Auth | Listed in which hosts | Plan or price required | Read-only | Open source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| bseoa (Black SEO Analyzer) | Site crawl and technical audit (16 modules, 300+ issue types), single-page checks, crawl comparison, search previews | Both: local process, or hosted at mcp.blackseoanalyzer.com/mcp | Local: license or trial. Hosted: email sign-in (OAuth) | Claude.ai directory, ChatGPT apps, Claude Desktop (.mcpb), Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex CLI, Perplexity for Mac, generic MCP URL | Local: $279 one-time license, 14-day trial. Hosted: $15/month with a license or $50/month without; 14-day hosted trial | Yes. Never logs in to or changes a site | No (source code guarantee on purchase) |
| Ahrefs MCP | Keywords, backlinks, top pages, AI Overview brand mentions (add-on) | Hosted remote only (local setup no longer supported) | OAuth, or an MCP key (not the same as an API key) | Claude.ai directory, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Lovable, n8n, generic MCP URL | Lite and higher. No MCP fee; calls use plan API units (Lite 200,000 a month, at least 50 per call) | not verified on 31 Oct 2026 | Not stated by vendor |
| Semrush MCP | Keywords, backlinks and domain analytics (SEO API), traffic and market data (Trends API), read-only project data | Hosted remote only | OAuth (Semrush login), API key as fallback | Claude (official app), ChatGPT (official app), Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Copilot, Perplexity, generic MCP URL | Semrush One Starter or Pro+, SEO Classic Pro or Guru (50,000 API units); Business and Advanced need a units add-on; Trends Basic or Premium | Yes. Reads projects but cannot create or change them | Not stated by vendor |
| SE Ranking MCP | Keywords, backlinks, SERP, rank tracking and site audits in your projects, local SEO, AI search visibility | Hosted remote only | OAuth 2.1, or API key header | Claude (official connector), Claude Code, ChatGPT (official plugin), Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf, Zed, Gemini CLI, generic MCP URL | SE Ranking or SE Visible account with API access; data depends on subscription | not verified on 31 Oct 2026 (vendor: read-only keys not available yet) | Server: no (hosted). Skills repo: yes |
| DataForSEO MCP | Raw SEO APIs: SERP, keywords, backlinks, on-page and Lighthouse, by endpoint | Both: local (npx) or hosted remote | API login and password; OAuth on the HTTP server | Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, Gemini CLI, generic MCP URL | Pay-as-you-go, $50 minimum top-up, $1 trial credit | Does not change your site; calls spend balance | Yes, Apache-2.0 |
| Similarweb MCP | Traffic and engagement, traffic sources, referrals, popular pages, SERP players and clicks, apps | Hosted remote | Similarweb API key | Claude (connectors), Claude Desktop, Cursor, Copilot, Zapier, n8n | API-enabled plan: API-only, Business or Enterprise; uses data credits | not verified on 31 Oct 2026 | Not stated by vendor |
| Moz | Official server: not verified on 31 Oct 2026. Community server: keywords, site metrics and Brand Authority, links | Official: not verified on 31 Oct 2026. Community: local process | Community: Moz API token | not verified on 31 Oct 2026 | Community: needs Moz API access; price not verified on 31 Oct 2026 | Community: yes | Community: MIT (per README) |
| Sitebulb MCP | Finished Sitebulb audits: site score, issues by severity, example URLs, URL detail, audit comparison | Hosted remote (Cloud and Desktop endpoints; Desktop app must be open) | OAuth sign-in, no key | Claude and ChatGPT (setup guides); Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Perplexity should connect; generic MCP URL | All Cloud plans, Desktop Lite and Pro, and the Desktop trial | Yes. Cannot run, schedule or change crawls | Not stated by vendor |
| Screaming Frog SEO Spider | Site crawl: start and control crawls, reports, bulk exports, URL detail, screenshots, links | Local, inside the SEO Spider (version 24) | None (local process) | Claude Desktop (.mcpb extension), LM Studio, other local MCP clients | Paid SEO Spider license; not in the free version | No. Runs crawls, writes files, can run scripts if enabled; does not change your site | No |
| Google Search Console (mcp-gsc, community) | Search Console: queries, pages, clicks and impressions, URL inspection, sitemaps | Local process (optional self-hosted HTTP) | Google OAuth or a service account | Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex CLI, Gemini CLI, other MCP clients | Free; needs a Google Cloud project with the Search Console API | No. Can submit sitemaps; destructive tools off by default | Yes, MIT |
| Lighthouse (lighthouse-mcp, community) | Page speed and Lighthouse scores for one URL (performance, accessibility, best practices, SEO) | Local process; needs Node.js and Chrome | None | Local MCP clients; listed in the MCP Registry | Free | Yes | Yes, MIT |
| Firecrawl MCP | Page content: scrape, crawl, map, search (crawling, not SEO auditing) | Both: hosted remote or local (npx) | OAuth, API key, or keyless free tier | Claude.ai, ChatGPT and Codex (native connectors), Claude Desktop, VS Code, generic MCP URL | Keyless free tier for search, scrape and parse; other tools on a Firecrawl plan | Does not change your site | Yes, MIT |

"Listed in which hosts" means the vendor documents that host, either as a directory listing or with setup steps. Any hosted server also works as a generic MCP URL in clients that accept one. bseoa's row is ours; see the disclosure above.

## Server by server

### bseoa (Black SEO Analyzer)

**Good for:** Running a real technical audit from the assistant: crawl up to 2,000 pages per hosted crawl (no set limit locally), list issues by severity, report everything about one URL, compare this crawl with last month's. Results are stored in your account, so a new chat can pick up an old crawl.

**Cannot:** No keyword volumes, backlinks, rank tracking or Search Console data. The hosted connector does not render JavaScript; the desktop app and CLI do.

More: [blackseoanalyzer.com/en/mcp](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/mcp). Setup by host: [Claude](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/claude), [ChatGPT](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/chatgpt), [Claude Code](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/claude-code), [Cursor](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/cursor), [Codex](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/codex).

### Ahrefs MCP

**Good for:** Keyword research and backlink analysis on Ahrefs' own index, from the same chat where you write the brief or the outreach list.

**Cannot:** Ahrefs' help page publishes no tool list, so site audit and rank tracking through MCP are not verified on 31 Oct 2026. Every call spends API units shared with Ahrefs Connect and the Ahrefs API, and you need the Lite plan or higher.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [help.ahrefs.com: Getting started with Ahrefs MCP](https://help.ahrefs.com/en/articles/13913559-getting-started-with-ahrefs-mcp)

### Semrush MCP

**Good for:** Keyword, domain and backlink lookups for people who already pay for Semrush, plus traffic estimates on a Trends plan.

**Cannot:** It cannot create projects or change settings. Calls spend Semrush API units, and the plan matrix decides which data you get.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [developer.semrush.com: Semrush MCP](https://developer.semrush.com/api/basics/semrush-mcp/)

### SE Ranking MCP

**Good for:** The broadest data mix in one hosted server: research data, your own rank tracking and audit projects, local listings and AI visibility.

**Cannot:** SE Ranking says restricted or read-only API keys aren't available yet, so a key has the same access as your account. Plan prices are not on the MCP page.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [seranking.com: MCP integration](https://seranking.com/api/integrations/mcp)

### DataForSEO MCP

**Good for:** Builders who want SERP, keyword and backlink data without a monthly SEO suite, paying per request.

**Cannot:** It is a thin layer over the API (four tools: three for reading docs, one for making requests), so the assistant has to pick endpoints and every call costs money. No opinionated audit or report.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [github.com/dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript](https://github.com/dataforseo/mcp-server-typescript)

### Similarweb MCP

**Good for:** Competitor traffic and channel mix: how much traffic a rival gets, from where, and to which pages.

**Cannot:** Not a crawler and not a keyword or backlink tool. Needs an API-enabled subscription; ChatGPT is not in its documented client list.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [developers.similarweb.com: Similarweb MCP](https://developers.similarweb.com/docs/similarweb-mcp)

### Moz

**Good for:** The community server is a quick way to pull Moz metrics such as site metrics, Brand Authority and keyword difficulty into a local assistant if you already have Moz API access.

**Cannot:** We could not load Moz's own pages on 31 Oct 2026, so we can't confirm whether Moz ships an official MCP server or what it would cost. The community server is maintained by one person and is not affiliated with Moz.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [github.com/metehan777/moz-mcp (community, not Moz)](https://github.com/metehan777/moz-mcp)

### Sitebulb MCP

**Good for:** Asking questions about audits you already run in Sitebulb: what changed since last crawl, which issues hit the most URLs, a draft client summary.

**Cannot:** It cannot start or configure a crawl; you do that in the Sitebulb app. It returns at most 50 example URLs per issue. The Desktop connection works only while the app is running and signed in.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [support.sitebulb.com: Sitebulb MCP](https://support.sitebulb.com/en/collections/19691887-sitebulb-mcp)

### Screaming Frog SEO Spider

**Good for:** Driving a licensed SEO Spider from an assistant on your own machine: start a crawl, export a report, pull the data into the conversation.

**Cannot:** Local only, so it does not work in Claude.ai or ChatGPT in the browser. Its file-write tool overwrites files without warning, and the optional script tools are off by default for good reason.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [screamingfrog.co.uk: MCP Server guide](https://www.screamingfrog.co.uk/guides/mcp-server/)

### Google Search Console (mcp-gsc, community)

**Good for:** Reading your own Search Console data in a chat: which queries lost clicks, which pages are not indexed, period-over-period comparisons.

**Cannot:** Google does not publish an official Search Console MCP server that we could find. This one is community code that holds a Google credential for your properties, so read it before you install it.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [github.com/AminForou/mcp-gsc](https://github.com/AminForou/mcp-gsc)

### Lighthouse (lighthouse-mcp, community)

**Good for:** Checking Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse scores for a page while you fix it, on your own machine.

**Cannot:** One URL at a time; it does not crawl a site. Servers that call the PageSpeed Insights API instead also exist; they need a Google API key.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [github.com/priyankark/lighthouse-mcp](https://github.com/priyankark/lighthouse-mcp)

### Firecrawl MCP

**Good for:** Getting the clean text of pages into a conversation: content reviews, competitor page summaries, building a list of URLs on a site.

**Cannot:** It returns content, not SEO findings. It will not tell you about broken links, duplicate titles, canonical problems or redirect chains unless the assistant works them out from raw pages.

Source, checked 31 Oct 2026: [docs.firecrawl.dev: MCP server](https://docs.firecrawl.dev/mcp-server)

## How to pick, by job

### Auditing a site

To crawl a site and get a list of technical issues from inside the assistant, use bseoa (hosted in Claude.ai and ChatGPT, or local in Claude Code, Cursor and Codex) or, if you already own a Screaming Frog license and work on one machine, the SEO Spider's local server. If your audits already live in Sitebulb, its server answers questions about them but will not run a new one. For page speed on one URL, add a Lighthouse server. Firecrawl gets you page content, not an audit.

### Researching keywords

Use the server for the suite you already pay for: Ahrefs, Semrush or SE Ranking. If you don't pay for one and only need data by the request, DataForSEO is pay-as-you-go. Moz metrics are available through a community server if you have Moz API access.

### Checking backlinks

Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking and DataForSEO's Backlinks API all expose link data. bseoa, Screaming Frog and Sitebulb see only the links on your own pages, not who links to you.

### Reading Search Console

None of the vendor servers above reads your Search Console account, and bseoa doesn't either. Use a community server such as mcp-gsc, run it locally, and check what write tools it enables before you give it your Google credentials.

### Watching competitors' traffic

Similarweb's server is built for that, on an API-enabled Similarweb plan. Semrush's Trends API covers similar ground for Semrush customers.

## Questions

What is an SEO MCP server?

A program that exposes SEO data or SEO actions as tools an AI assistant can call through the Model Context Protocol. The assistant decides when to call a tool, the server fetches the data from the vendor's database or the live site, and the assistant answers from that data instead of from memory.

Which SEO MCP servers can audit my site?

bseoa crawls and audits a site from the assistant, hosted or on your own machine. Screaming Frog's server drives a licensed SEO Spider locally. Sitebulb's server reads audits you have already run in Sitebulb but cannot start one. SE Ranking exposes site audit data from your projects. Lighthouse servers score one page at a time. Firecrawl crawls pages but does not audit them.

Do I need a paid plan to use them?

Mostly yes. Ahrefs needs Lite or higher, Semrush needs an API-enabled plan or units add-on, Similarweb needs an API plan, Screaming Frog needs a paid license, and Sitebulb works on any paid plan or its trial. DataForSEO is pay-as-you-go. Firecrawl has a keyless free tier, the community Search Console and Lighthouse servers are free, and bseoa has a 14-day trial with no card.

Which ones work in Claude.ai or ChatGPT without installing anything?

The hosted ones: Ahrefs, Semrush, SE Ranking, DataForSEO, Firecrawl, Sitebulb and bseoa all document Claude and ChatGPT. Similarweb documents Claude. Screaming Frog, the community Search Console server and the Lighthouse server run on your own machine, so they need Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor or another local client.

Can an SEO MCP server change my website?

None of the servers on this page edit your website. Some can change things in your accounts: the community Search Console server can submit sitemaps, Screaming Frog's server can start crawls and write files on your computer, and SE Ranking says its API keys carry full account access. bseoa, Sitebulb and Semrush's project tools are read-only.

Is there an official Google Search Console MCP server?

We did not find one on 31 Oct 2026. Community servers exist; the most used is mcp-gsc on GitHub, which runs locally with your Google sign-in or a service account.

Do MCP calls cost extra?

Usually they spend the same units or credits as the vendor's API. Ahrefs charges no MCP fee but each call costs at least 50 API units. Semrush and Similarweb draw on API units and data credits. DataForSEO takes each request from your balance. On bseoa, single-page checks never count; only crawled pages count against the hosted budget.

How do I connect one?

Hosted servers take a URL: add it as a connector in Claude or ChatGPT, or pick it from the directory, and sign in. Local servers are a command your client starts, for example claude mcp add bseoa -s user -- bseoa mcp in Claude Code. Each vendor section above links its setup page.

## Try the audit server

bseoa's trial is 14 days, every feature, no page limit and no credit card. The hosted connector has its own 14-day trial with 5,000 pages.

[Start the free trial](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/free-trial?source=mcp)
Set it up in [Claude](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/claude), [ChatGPT](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/chatgpt), [Claude Code](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/claude-code), [Cursor](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/cursor) or [Codex](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/codex). Every install path is on the [connector page](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/mcp). For how AI search changes what you audit, read [GEO vs SEO](https://www.blackseoanalyzer.com/en/geo-vs-seo).

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